Ask any wrestling fan over the age of twenty-five about the best game in the series, and you'll probably get a heated debate. One person screams about Here Comes the Pain. Another insists the new 2K stuff is "objectively" better because the graphics don't look like play-dough. But there is one title that always sits at the top of the pile for a very specific type of fan. Honestly, it’s WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007.
Released in late 2006, this game was a weird, beautiful bridge between two eras. It was the first time the series jumped to the "next-gen" (the Xbox 360), yet it still lived on the PlayStation 2. It felt like the end of an era and a massive leap forward at the same time. You’ve probably seen the cover: Triple H, John Cena, Batista, Rey Mysterio, and Torrie Wilson. It practically screams "Ruthless Aggression."
The Analog Revolution (and why it was annoying)
The biggest thing everyone remembers about WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 is the control scheme. Before this, you basically mashed buttons to grapple. Suddenly, Yuke’s decided we needed to use the right analog stick for everything. It was polarizing.
People hated it at first. You’d try to do a suplex and end up just standing there like an idiot because you flicked the stick the wrong way. But once it clicked? It felt much more organic. You could "drag" your opponent. You could walk them over to the ropes and choke them, or drag them to the ring post and smash their legs. It wasn't just a move; it was a sequence. This "Ultimate Control Grapple" system gave you a weirdly satisfying level of agency that modern games often trade for canned animations.
Breaking the Fourth Wall (Literally)
One of the coolest features was fighting in the crowd. It wasn't the first game to do it, but it was the first to make it feel dangerous. You could hop the barricade and suddenly you’re in a tiny, cramped space with the fans. They’d hand you weapons—signs, chairs, whatever they had.
- Interactive Hotspots: This was the game-changer.
- The Steel Steps: You could smash a guy's face into them repeatedly. Not just once, but like, five times in a row until he finally reversed it.
- The Announce Table: You could rip the monitors out and use the cables to strangle people. It was brutal.
- Backstage Brawls: The parking lot and the bar were legendary. You could suplex someone into a literal pinball machine and watch it explode.
That Soundtrack Though
We have to talk about the music. If you close your eyes and think of this game, you hear Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace. Or maybe Lonely Train by Black Stone Cherry.
The soundtrack for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 was basically the "Edgy Teenager's Starter Pack" of 2006. It had everything: Ghostface Killah's The Champ for the hip-hop heads, and Nonpoint's Bullet with a Name for the nu-metal kids. It fit the vibe of the WWE at the time perfectly. It was loud, slightly aggressive, and very "mid-2000s." Even the menu sounds—that specific clack-clack noise—are burned into the brains of millions.
GM Mode: The Real Reason We Played
If you mention this game to a hardcore fan, they won’t talk about the graphics first. They’ll talk about General Manager Mode.
This was the peak of GM Mode. You had to manage a budget, draft a roster, and book rivalries. But it was the "small" details that made it a nightmare (in a good way). Your stars would get "fatigued" and injured if you booked them too often. You had to balance their popularity. Honestly, it was a spreadsheet simulator disguised as a wrestling game, and we loved it. You’d spend three hours booking a perfect WrestleMania card just to have your main eventer get "injured" in a random dark match the week before. It was infuriating. It was perfect.
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Why 2007 feels "Heavier"
There’s a weight to this game that’s missing today. When you hit a Powerbomb in 2007, the ring shook. The sound effects were crunchy. The physics were a little "floaty" compared to the simulation-heavy 2K24, but the impact felt massive.
The Xbox 360 version also introduced the "Sweat System." It sounds gross now, but seeing Triple H actually get glisteningly sweaty as the match went on was a huge technical flex in 2006. It made the matches feel like they were taking a toll.
The Roster: A Time Capsule
Looking at the roster today is like looking at a museum. You have prime Kurt Angle (this was his last appearance for years). You have Chris Benoit (before... everything happened). You have the legends like Dusty Rhodes, Mr. Perfect, and Eddie Guerrero.
It was a transitional roster. You had the old guard and the new faces like CM Punk (who was a hidden gem at the time). It’s one of the few games where you can have a "dream match" between the 80s legends and the 2000s stars and it doesn't feel totally out of place because the move-sets were so deep.
What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of people think WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 was perfect. It wasn't.
The loading times on the PS2 were atrocious. The PSP version was basically a port that struggled to keep its frame rate up. And the AI? Sometimes it was brain-dead. You could stand on the outside and they’d just run into the ring post for thirty seconds.
Also, the Season Mode. While it was cool to have full voiceovers from the real superstars, the stories were a bit "cookie-cutter." You’d basically play through the same three or four storylines regardless of who you picked. It lacked the "choose your own adventure" vibe of the older SmackDown! titles.
How to play it today
If you want to revisit this masterpiece, you’ve got a few options.
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- Original Hardware: Dust off the Xbox 360 or PS2. The 360 version is still the gold standard for the graphics and the crowd interaction.
- Emulation: PCSX2 (for PS2) or Xenia (for 360) are the ways to go. Just keep in mind that the 360 emulation can still be a bit finicky with textures.
- The PSP Version: If you have a Vita or a PSP, it's a great "on the go" experience, even with the cut features.
Actionable Next Steps
If you're jumping back in, try these three things to get the most out of it:
- Turn off the HUD: The game looks surprisingly modern on the 360 if you remove the health bars. It feels like watching a broadcast.
- Start a GM Mode with a friend: This is still the best way to play. The competition between Raw and SmackDown is way more fun when you're actually trying to screw over a real person's ratings.
- Explore the "Hotspots": Don't just stay in the ring. Take the fight to the parking lot. Suplex someone onto the hood of a car. Use the environment—that’s where the real soul of this game lives.
Ultimately, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 wasn't trying to be a perfect simulation of real life. It was trying to be a fun, slightly over-the-top version of what we saw on TV every Monday and Friday night. It succeeded. That's why we’re still talking about it twenty years later.